38~Her worth #3
She turned toward the door.
Amina gently caught her wrist. "Before you go... there's something you need to know."
Hanan sighed. "What is it?"
"It's about Ya Najib."
Hanan closed her eyes briefly.
"Amina..."
"I know you don't want to hear about him... But please."
"Just this once."
She took a slow breath.
"The accident... did you hear what really happened to him after you left?"
Hanan remained silent.
"He had a terrible accident that almost killed him."
"The same day he discovered the truth."
"He found out everything Zaitun did."
"He learned you were innocent."
"He regretted everything."
"He wanted to find you that very day."
"He wanted to apologize."
"He wanted to tell you he loved you."
"But before he could... the accident happened."
Amina swallowed.
"He survived."
"But he fell into a coma for six months."
"When he finally woke up, he suffered memory loss."
"He forgot many things... But somehow..."
"He never forgot you."
"The first name he called after opening his eyes was yours."
"Habiba."
Hanan's fingers clenched onto her dress.
"He named every other property he owned Habibti."
"His cars, His buildings, projects."
"I once asked him why, Habibti?"
"He told me it was because your mother used to call you that... and you loved the name."
"He wanted a piece of you to remain in his life until he found you again."
"He has your pictures all over his room just because seeing you makes him happy."
A tear escaped Amina's eye.
"He quit drinking because you hated alcohol."
"He stopped smoking because you disliked cigarettes."
"He became devoted to his Ibadah begging Allah for three years to reunite you both, for you to forgive him and give him a second chance to love you properly."
"The changed man you see today exists because of you."
"You changed him..."
"You did what no one could ever, even Grandma couldn't."
"But you did."
She squeezed Hanan's hands.
"So please... I know you still love him."
"I can see it."
"Please reconsider this marriage."
"Ya Najib loves you more than his own life."
Hanan smiled bitterly. "What makes you so sure?"
"He does." Amina smiled.
"I've seen it in his actions."
"No." Hanan shook her head.
"Don't call that love, call it infatuation."
"Maybe he only thinks he loves me because I'm no longer the na?ve village girl he once looked down on."
Amina quickly shook her head. "That's not true."
"It is." Hanan insisted.
"He got drunk again last night because of you." Amina sighed.
"He gave up alcohol for you."
"But just last night, he relapsed..."
"Amina." Hanan cut her off.
"The reason I'm marrying Faruk is because your brother gave me permission."
Amina froze. "What?"
"Last night I called him."
"I told him I still loved him."
"I confessed everything."
"I told him I regretted accepting Faruk's proposal."
"I was ready to call off the engagement."
Her lips trembled.
"But he told me... To go ahead and marry Faruk."
"He said he had accepted that we were never meant to be."
"Maybe not in this life... maybe in another."
Tears welled in her eyes. "Tell me... How was I supposed to feel after hearing that?"
"I felt foolish."
"Embarrassed."
"Broken."
"So don't stand here telling me he loves me."
"And even if he does..."
"It isn't the kind of love I want."
Amina stared at her in disbelief.
"No... He must've been drunk when he said that."
"It was a misunderstanding, please don't doubt his love."
"Oh I doubt it, and they say drunk people speak the truth." Hanan frowned.
"So he meant every word."
Hanan wiped away a tear.
"I asked him to love me the way I loved him."
"Desperately."
"Wholeheartedly."
"As though losing me would feel like losing his own life."
"But the moment I finally chose him... he told me to marry another man."
She looked directly into Amina's eyes.
"So tell me... Is that the kind of love I should settle for?"
Silence filled the room.
Finally...
Amina nodded sadly. "I didn't expect that I would be able to change your mind."
"I only came to return your ring."
She forced a small smile. "Goodbye, Hanan."
Without another word, she walked away.
The room fell silent.
Hanan stared at the ring resting on her finger.
A bitter smile curved across her lips.
"I threw this ring away the moment I realized I still loved your brother, Amina."
She slowly tapped it.
"But now... I regret ever throwing it away."
"More than that... I regret that my heart still loves him."
Her gaze lingered on the ring.
"I pray the day comes when I can throw away my feelings for him as easily as I threw away this ring."
She inhaled deeply.
"Habiba died the day she finally realized her worth."
"The girl who begged for scraps of love no longer exists."
"Hanan doesn't chase love anymore."
"If it cannot fight for me... then it doesn't deserve me."
She practiced one final smile in the mirror.
A flawless one.
The kind that hid every crack inside her heart.
Then she turned and walked downstairs.
.
.
.
***
A/N
Thanks for reading. ??